Manager shot during robbery attempt

Law enforcement officers are seeking a suspect in the shooting of an Applebee's manager, who was attacked at the restaurant late Sunday evening.

"We are obviously following up on some leads. We certainly don't know where they might go," said St. Johns County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Chuck Mulligan on Monday.

The manager, Rosemary Boss, was taken to Flagler Hospital and then flown to Shands Jacksonville for further treatment of non-life threatening injuries after being shot in the leg, Mulligan said.

Boss was able to talk with detectives early Monday morning.

She was alone in the back room of Applebee's on State Road 312 when she was grabbed by the throat from behind by a man who held a gun to her head and demanded money, Boss said. At some point she began struggling with the suspect, who then fired at least one shot at the 54-year-old woman.

"When she attempted to get away, he fired a round," Mulligan said.

After Boss was hit in the leg by a bullet, the man fled out the door and left on foot in an unknown direction.

It has not been determined if the suspect was able to get any money from the restaurant.

"It's rare that someone gets shot (in these situations). ... It's certainly not the norm we see in robberies," Mulligan said of the shooting, calling it a "much more aggressive stance" than normal.

Deputies arrived at the scene at 11:15 p.m. after the shooting was reported and began searching the area. A Sheriff's Office K-9 deputy and her bloodhound tracked a scent from the restaurant to the rear of Big Lots across the street, but did not find any additional evidence.

The suspect is described as a black male, 5'9" tall. He was wearing a red ski mask, black sweatshirt and blue jeans. Because Boss was attacked from behind, she did not get a close look at the man. In addition, the man had the ski mask pulled over his face, and the sweatshirt made it difficult to determine his size, Mulligan said.

Detectives are asking for the public's help. They want to talk to anyone who was traveling on State Road 312 between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway between 11 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. and may have seen a subject running in the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at St. Johns County Sheriff's Office or call CrimeStoppers of North Florida at 1-888-277-8477.